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Khairul (left) and Minara at MSF’s clinic in Penang.

In no man’s land: Malaysia’s unwanted refugees

At a free health clinic in Penang, some of the tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees who have poured into Malaysia from war-torn Myanmar talk about life in a country that denies them meaningful support, rights and status.

  • Zach Hope

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Thai King Vajiralongkorn with Princess Bajrakitiyabha in Bangkok in 2020.

The secret dinner and a glimpse at the childhood of a tragic princess

A cable stamped “secret” and for Australian eyes only shows the future king of Thailand in an unguarded moment in 1984, opening up about his family.

  • Michael Ruffles
Princess Bajrakitiyabha greets supporters outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Thai princess dies, plunging kingdom into mourning and sparking succession drama

Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest child of Thailand’s controversial king, had been on life support since collapsing in December 2022.

  • Michael Ruffles
Rung Rueang Pork Noodles.

Forget the hotel buffet, for breakfast you can’t go past this $3 dish

There’s normally no reason to be on Bangkok’s streets before 8am, but the best way to start your day in this city is a visit to this noodle shop.

  • Ben Groundwater
Workers and volunteers filling sandbags near the entrance of the flooded cave containing seven trapped villagers.

Mission ‘almost impossible’: Time running out for Laos cave survivors

Rescuers are moving by fingertips and toes to rescue seven men trapped in a remote Laos cave.

  • Zach Hope
Mun Duang Somdi holding a picture of her son who has been found alive in the cave in Laos.

Alive, but not free: On the ground for the miracle Laos cave rescue

Five of the seven men have been found alive after a week trapped in the cave. But their ordeal is not over yet.

  • Zach Hope
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The five villagers found alive in a Laos cave.

‘People were cheering’: Five found alive after a week trapped in flooded cave, two still missing

In nearby Phanchai Village, our reporter spoke to desperate relatives shortly after news reached them that the trapped villagers were alive. Now begins the complex operation to get them out.

  • Zach Hope

‘It’s so narrow’: Rescuers race to find seven trapped in flooded Laos cave for a week

Cave rescue experts who took part in the dramatic rescue of 12 young soccer players from a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018 have joined the effort to save the stranded group.

Empty hotel sun-loungers on a beach Vũng Tàu, Vietnam.

Looking for a cheaper holiday? Here’s where you can find it

Surging airfares and disruption to routes are leaving Asia’s beaches and hotels empty. One country in particular is offering exceptional bang for buck right now.

  • Jimmy Thomson
The temptation of a Thai beach proved too much … and proved costly.

I went for one last holiday swim. When I got back, all my stuff was gone

I needed to get to Bangkok in order to obtain a new passport. The only problem? To get there, everyone wanted to see my ID.

  • Craig Tansley